Judge dismisses Nevada wild horse roundup lawsuit
By Frank X. Mullen Jr., Reno Gazette Journal, May 25, 2010 [here]
A federal judge Monday dismissed a lawsuit brought by horse activists that sought to halt the roundups of wild horses in Nevada and the stockpiling of the animals in Midwestern facilities.
District Judge Paul L. Friedman in Washington, D.C., dismissed the lawsuit against government agencies by In Defense of Animals, Nevada wildlife ecologist Craig Downer and Verdi children’s author Terri Farley on the grounds that the parties did not have standing to take legal action in the matter of holding the horses in a long-term facility and because the roundup in the Calico area of Nevada ended in February.
“We remain confident in the merits of our case and look forward to pursuing this legal issue in the near future,” said William J. Spriggs, lead counsel for Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney. “The Bureau of Land Management’s practice of removing horses from the Western range and warehousing them in Midwestern holding facilities is flat out illegal, and the judge’s preliminary ruling in this regard was correct.”
BLM officials said they are withholding comment until they study the decision.
The lawsuit sought to stop a roundup of 2,500 wild horses from the half-million-acre herd management Calico area complex, comprised primarily of publicly owned lands north of Gerlach. … [more]